The present disclosure relates to the subject matter disclosed in German applications No. 101 25 443.1 of May 25, 2001 and No. 101 42 587.2 of Aug. 31, 2001, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety and for all purposes.
The invention relates to a string holder for a musical instrument with a holding body, on which a holding device for strings of the musical instrument is disposed and which is provided with an attachment element forming an attachment bow for fixing the holding body to the musical instrument.
Such string holders are used, for example, for fixing strings to violins, violas, cellos or double basses. In this case, the string holder is fixed by means of the attachment element to a saddle button of the musical instrument, one end of the strings of the musical instrument being fixed to the string holder via the holding device and the other end of the strings being fixed, for example, to a peg box of the musical instrument.
String holders are shown or described, for example, in DE 195 15 166 A1, EP 0 242 221 A2, DE 297 12 635 U1, U.S. Pat. No. 5,883,318, DE 28 45 241 A1 or EP 0 273 499 A1.
In a string holder known from the prior art a recess is disposed on an underside of a corresponding holding body. The respective ends of the attachment element are guided into the recess via two cutouts and the ends of the attachment element are provided with a thread. A knurled nut is disposed at both ends and the extent of the attachment bow can be varied by this.
The object forming the basis of the invention is to provide a string holder of the aforementioned type which is easily usable.
This object is achieved according to the invention with a generic string holder in that an adjusting device for adjustment of the distance of an attachment bow apex of the attachment element from the holding body is disposed on the holding body, and that the adjusting device is operable from outside the holding body.
In a stringed instrument such as a violin, viola, cello or double bass, for example, it is not only the tension under which the string stands that is significant for the tone, but also the ratio of the primary string to the secondary string. The primary string is the string region which is located between a saddle and a bridge and the secondary string is the string region which is located between the bridge and the string holder. Because an adjusting device for adjustment of the distance of an attachment bow apex of the attachment element in relation to the holding body, and therefore in relation to the holding device is provided according to the invention on the holding body, the length of the secondary string can be adjusted via the string holder. Since the adjusting device may be operated from outside the holding body, the strings do not need to be released at the pegs of the musical instrument and the string holder detached from the musical instrument in this case. Instead, the adaptation of the ratio of the length of the primary string to the secondary string may be adjusted with the musical instrument stringed. Necessary corrections can thus be easily made. The outside of the string holder in this case is the region of the string holder which does not face the musical instrument and in particular a covering board of the musical instrument.
Since the attachment element is under tension when the string holder is fixed, this attachment element can stretch. As a result, the length of the secondary string in turn changes. These stretching movements can be compensated easily according to the invention by the adjusting device by the distance of the attachment bow apex being subsequently adjusted accordingly.
The fact that the adjusting device may be operated from outside the holding body firstly enables the adjustment to be conducted easily. Secondly, it enables damage in particular to the surface of the musical instrument to be prevented, since the operation of the adjusting device is easily accessed.
It is particularly advantageous if the adjusting device comprises an adjusting element for adjusting the distance of the attachment bow apex, and, in particular a single adjusting element, which may be operated from outside the holding body. This single adjusting element then enables the distance of the attachment bow apex from the holding device for the strings to be adjusted easily.
For easy adjustability in this case, the adjusting element may be operated advantageously from an end of the holding body remote from the holding device for the string of the musical instrument and in particular from an end of the holding body, via which the attachment element is connected thereto. As a result of this, the risk of damage to a surface of the musical instrument, e.g. by means of a screwdriver for operation of the adjusting element, is minimized, since the impact area of the screwdriver on a covering board of the musical instrument is minimized. Moreover, in such an arrangement the adjusting device can be constructed in a structurally simple manner, and therefore simply with respect to production, since the direction of the change in the distance of the attachment bow apex from the holding device (the holding body) essentially coincides with the direction of access to the adjusting element. In particular, this also then allows the adjusting element of the adjusting device to retain its translational position relative to the musical instrument, i.e. not to move in a translational manner to the musical instrument, while the distance of the attachment bow apex is changed. This ensures that when, for example, the length of the secondary string is decreased and the string holder shifts in the direction of the bridge, the position of the impact point for the adjusting element for its operation does not lie deeper above the covering board of the musical instrument, and thus the risk of damage to the musical instrument is not increased, e.g. by a screwdriver.
It is beneficial if the adjusting device is disposed on an underside of the holding body which has a trough-shaped construction at least in the region of the adjusting device. This enables the adjusting device to be covered by the holding body to the outside and in particular towards an upper side, when the string holder is disposed on the musical instrument, i.e. the underside of the string holder points to a covering board of the musical instrument.
It is most particularly advantageous if the adjusting element is capable of translational movement relative to the holding body and in particular the adjusting element is capable of translational movement essentially parallel to a longitudinal direction of the holding body. As a result of this translational movement the distance of the apex of the attachment bow of the attachment element in relation to the holding device can then be adjusted. However, when a string holder is fixed to the musical instrument, this also enables the adjusting element to be fixed relative to the musical instrument in a translational manner, i.e. a rotation of the adjusting element leads to a displacement of the apex of the attachment bow relative to the holding body, but not to a displacement of the adjusting element relative to the musical instrument.
It is favorable from the design point of view if the adjusting element is an adjusting screw. Such an adjusting screw may be operated easily in order to generate a translational movement by means of a rotational movement, e.g. caused by a screwdriver, this translational movement changing the distance of the apex of the attachment bow of the attachment element from the holding body.
Such a change in distance may be achieved in a simple manner with respect to production if a threaded guide device, e.g. via a nut for an adjusting screw, is disposed to be secure against rotation and non-displaceable on the holding body, so that upon rotation of the adjusting screw relative to the holding body said screw is capable of translational displacement. Therefore, upon rotation of the adjusting screw its translational position relative to the holding body then changes, and as a result the distance of the apex of the attachment bow from the holding body may itself be adjusted.
To substantially prevent vibrating of the adjusting element in particular, it is beneficial if a sliding guide device is provided for the adjusting element, this guide device being disposed in particular at a distance from the threaded guide device. This enables the guide device to be constructed with greater play with respect to the apex of the attachment bow of the attachment element.
The adjusting device is favorably constructed essentially symmetrically in relation to a longitudinal axis of the holding body. This enables a uniform adjustment of the distance with respect to the attachment bow.
It is most particularly advantageous if, by operating the adjusting element when an attachment element is attached to the musical instrument and strings of the musical instrument are held via the holding device, a distance of the attachment bow apex from the holding body is adjustable, so that upon adaptation of the length of the secondary strings the strings do not need to be released from pegs of the musical instrument. Moreover, compensation of the stretch of the attachment element may then also be conducted without the string holder having to be detached from the musical instrument.
In an advantageous variant of an embodiment, an attachment element is provided with a thread in the region of its ends. For example, the attachment element is formed by a threaded plastic wire, which is sheathed outside the region of the ends and is sheathed in particular in the region of the attachment bow, which is looped on the saddle button of the musical instrument. A holding element can be screwed on, and in particular a knurled nut, via the thread in the region of the end of an attachment element. In turn, this knurled nut enables the attachment element to be fixed to a cross element, i.e. one end of the attachment element is fixed with respect to the cross element and the other likewise. In this case the thread enables the distance between the end and the cross element to be adjusted and with it the length of the attachment bow.
Thus, it is particularly favorable if the attachment element for the formation of an attachment bow is held on a cross element by means of a first bow element and a second bow element. In turn, this cross element may be displaced via the adjusting device and thus the attachment bow may be displaced as a whole to allow the distance of the apex of the attachment bow from the holding body to be adjusted. As a result, the string holder can be produced according to the invention by few parts: for provision of the mobility of the adjusting element, a tongue must be provided on an underside of the holding body, the adjusting element being rotatable relative to this tongue, and in this case the rotation of the adjusting element can be converted into a translational movement of the adjusting element. For this, for example, a nut, in which the adjusting screw is rotated, is disposed in the tongue to be secure against rotation and non-displaceable. In addition, a cross element is provided, to which the attachment element for the formation of an attachment bow is fixed by means of knurled nuts, for example. These knurled nuts, i.e. the free ends of the attachment element, and the adjusting element can be guided in a bridge element, which is formed in particular in one piece on the underside of the holding body. This enables an adjusting device to be constructed with few structural parts (holding body, adjusting element, threaded guide, two knurled nuts, attachment element and cross element). The string holder according to the invention can be produced in a simple manner in view of the corresponding low number of structural parts.
A bow element is then held on the cross element via a holding element, the holding element being disposed between an end of the bow element and the cross element. The size of the attachment bow may be adjusted by varying the distance towards the end.
It is particularly advantageous if the cross element has an abutment surface for the holding element which is angled. When the attachment element is under tension, when the strings of the musical instrument are under tension, the holding elements are then displaced accordingly as a result of the in particular slightly angled abutment surface and are no longer oriented completely parallel to the longitudinal direction of the holding body. As a result of this, these are in turn clamped to walls of a recess, in which the holding elements are guided, so that the free ends of the attachment element are clamped with the holding body. This substantially prevents a possible swishing sound of the attachment element which causes disruptive extraneous noise.
In this case, the holding element is advantageously formed by a knurled nut. Via such a knurled nut, on the one hand, the first bow element and the second bow element may be fixed to the cross element and, on the other hand, the length of the attachment bow may be adjusted via the position of the knurled nut relative to the end of a bow element. In order to adjust a defined length of the attachment bow, it is advantageous if the distance between the end of a bow element and the holding element is adjustable.
A string holder may be produced in a simple and inexpensive manner if the cross element can be positioned in a translational manner in relation to the holding body via the adjusting device. Since the attachment element is fixed to the cross element for formation of the attachment bow, the apex of the attachment bow in relation to the holding body and thus in relation to the holding device of the holding body is also positioned as a result of this via a translational movement of the cross element. This, in turn, enables the adjusting element itself to be firmly positioned against translational movement with respect to the musical instrument and to only be rotatable in relation to this, so that the distance of the apex of the attachment bow from the holding body is easily adjustable.
It is favorable if a sliding guide device is provided for the respective part of the first bow element and the second bow element, which lies between the respective end and the cross element. This guide device ensures, on the one hand, that the free ends of the attachment element are guided and, on the other hand, do not lie freely on the underside of the string holder, so that vibrations of the attachment element are substantially prevented.
It is additionally favorable if the sliding guide device is formed by a recess in a bridge element. Such a bridge element may be disposed on the string holder in one piece and be produced integrally as a holding body in the case of an injection molded plastic part, for example.
It can also be provided that a guide device for the adjusting element is formed in the bridge element to thus keep the production expense low.
A specific adjustment range of the adjusting device is advantageously predetermined, e.g. in a length range of approximately 5 to 7 mm, so as not to predetermine the possible variations too extensively for the user.
It is most particularly advantageous if in the arrangement on a musical instrument, the relative translational position of the adjusting element to the musical instrument is retained. This enables the adjusting element to always be operated from the same access area, irrespective of the position of the string holder in relation to the musical instrument, i.e. of the length of the secondary string. In particular, this prevents an operating end of the adjusting element, e.g. a head of an adjusting screw, from shifting in the direction of the bridge of the musical instrument when the distance of the apex of the attachment bow of the attachment element in relation to this bridge is changed. Therefore, this prevents the operating end of the adjusting element from being moved deeper into the area of the covering board of the musical instrument.
A securing means to prevent loss is advantageously provided for the attachment element when the adjusting element is released. This prevents the attachment element from detaching from the holding body, even when the adjusting element is released.
In particular, the cross element has one or more holding lugs for this, e.g. in the form of catch lugs, which is or are guided in a guide recess of the holding body and by means of which a movement of the cross element away from the holding body can be blocked. Thus, the guide recess restricts, in particular with side walls, the displaceability of the holding lug or lugs and thus blocks the ability of the cross element with the attachment element to be pulled away from the holding body.
In this case, the holding lug is advantageously disposed on a tongue of the cross element. The tongue can then extend through a bridge element, for example, to thus form a large distance between a rear end of the cross element and a front end thereof, which is formed by the tongue. This in turn allows a type of tilt lock to be simply formed by means of the adjusting element, which prevents the cross element, and thus the tongue, from tilting so that the holding lug remains inserted in the guide recess. Since this blocking effect is caused by the adjusting element, which in particular is an adjusting screw, it may also be released by loosening the adjusting screw. Therefore, if the adjusting element is drawn further out of the cross element, the blocking effect may be removed. In this case, guidance of the adjusting element in the cross element and/or in the bridge element for a translational movement is advantageously configured so that only a low play is present so that an application of force is necessary to draw out the adjusting screw.
Therefore, it is advantageous if the holding lug is disposed and configured in such a way that exit from the guide recess can be blocked via the adjusting element. So long as the holding lug is held in the guide recess by means of the adjusting element, the cross element can not be removed with the attachment element from the holding body.
In particular, with the adjusting element positioned above the holding lug, exit from the guide recess is blocked, since a tilting movement of the cross element, for example, is essentially blocked, via which the holding lug could be guided out of the guide recess and the cross element could be removed.
In this case, the guide recess between a threaded guide for an adjusting screw as adjusting element and a bridge element of the holding body is advantageously disposed on said holding body or is formed therein. In this way, the holding lug may be blocked from emerging from the guide recess via the adjusting element in the form of an adjusting screw, and this blocking is then itself achieved if the adjusting screw is not disposed in the threaded guide itself, but is drawn back in relation to this in the direction of the bridge element.
The following description of a preferred embodiment serves to explain the invention in more detail in association with the drawing.